A German rocket which was described as the largest the country has made since the Nazi-era V-2 has exploded just 40 seconds after launching from a Norwegian space port.
The unmanned Spectrum rocket was seen wildly veering off course within seconds of its launch from Andøya Spaceport in Norway today.
Footage taken by Isar Aerospace, the German company in charge of the rocket, showed it wobbling in mid-air, before its engines failed and it fell into the nearby sea, exploding in a massive fireball on impact.
Despite this, Isar Aerospace claimed the failed launch was a success as it gave its engineers extensive data to learn from.
‘Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success,’ Daniel Metzler, the chief executive, said in a statement.
He added: ‘We had a clean lift-off, 30 seconds of flight, and even got to validate our flight termination system.’
The Spectrum rocket is 28m (92ft) long, and is powered by 10 custom engines.
The two-stage spacecraft is designed specially to put small and medium satellites into orbit.
The global space race has been accelerating for years. Earlier this year, Britain finally revealed it was joining in, announcing a space port in the Shetland Islands.
The first ‘vertical’ rocket launch from UK soil will finally go ahead this year from SaxaVord Spaceport on Unst, the northernmost of the Shetland Islands.
The 100ft RFA One launch vehicle, developed by German company Rocket Factory Augsburg, will perform a NASA-style vertical blast off from the site.
It will transport small and micro-satellites of up to 1,300 kg into Earth orbit for paying customers – marking the first ever British satellite launch.
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has been licensed for spaceflight by the UK’s regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), meaning the flight can officially go ahead.
‘Granting the first vertical launch licence from UK soil builds towards a historic milestone for the nation,’ said Rob Bishton, CAA CEO.
SaxaVord Spaceport is one of three spaceports in the UK that aim to start satellite launches.